Once every now and then, we get comedic showstoppers that does what it needs to do: entertain. I’ve seen a lot of comedy shows in the past few years and believe me, Hinamatsuri belongs in a category of its own. It’s entertaining not just on the level of being able to make me laugh but also able to capture the magic of what comedy really is about. It’s only 12 episodes but manages to make an addicting impression.

As a fan of the manga, delightful is just one of many words that came to mind when I heard about the adaptation. The manga contains over 70+
chapters of memorable content and to fully deliver that value isn’t an easy task. Luckly, Hinamatsuri does something that I noticed many shows doesn’t do these days and that’s being aware of itself. On first viewing, it felt like a challenge to realize what this series is all about. The premise itself can make some people’s eyes roll while the character cast consists of a variety of colorful personalities. To me, Hinamatsuri is like diving into a world of absurdity but coming out of it brings me nothing but a smile and the realization of being entertained.

From watching the show, I can tell that the director wanted to for entertain the audience. The most evident is the selling of the comedic character reactions. Main characters Hina and Nitta does this the best as they come from very different backgrounds. On the surface level, the two are nothing alike but through interacting with one another, they form a strange bond that makes them almost inseparable. The anime does a phenomenal job at capturing the character expressions with well-timed body language. It creates the sensation of wanting for more every episode and see what characters will do under certain situations. Each episode consists of segments of everyday life activities although there are abnormal events happening from time to time involving psychic powers. Beyond just selling the comedy, this show also does contain some interesting emotional elements too.

One particular episode showcasing Anzu depicts the realism of homelessness. It’s one of those episodes that you would least expect to see from this particular anime. What attracts me about this show is how it ties in a lot of ideas together. The thematic storytelling may feel random at first but overall has a connection together. Every main or supporting character also delivers moments that are hard to forget. This also includes Hina’s classmates such as Hitomi as she works discreetly at a bar that few knows. It’s also noticeable that the show doesn’t just take place at school or the city either. In a big change in mood, an episode focusing on Mao shows what life is like in isolation. By experimenting ideas like this, it feels like this show constantly evolves and has something for fans to talk about.

I’ve already mentioned some of the characters but a big question is if the show puts enough value to make the audience care about them. While some characters may not stand out much as the others, I can definitely say with confidence that the main cast is worth watching for their roles. It would have been easy to just let the characters do the talking but instead, the series remarkably showcase their personalities in the most humorous ways possible. A general sense of fatalism can also be felt as some characters are destined to meet or events fated to happen. While some storytelling elements can be predictable in later episodes, it doesn’t hold back with how characters connect with each other.

Now, there’s an elephant in the room. Once you’ve seen a good amount of episodes, it’s not hard to say that the anime portrays characters in some inappropriate ways. Fan service is present in some episodes and there may be some uncomfortable scenes thrown in by the creators. While this is true on the surface, it should be realized that the anime isn’t presented as a shock value. At its core, Hinamatsuri serves to entertain its audience through creative comedy. The fan service adds more fuel to the fire that way.

Adapted by studio feel, the anime has production quality that I can say works quite well. The character reactions are the big selling factor animated with extreme style. Somehow, it remains faithful to the overall tone of the show without ever going off-track. It also impresses me that we get to see emotional moments bought to life. It’s very human and despite how silly the anime can be, the show contains episodes that are tearjerking. Character designs looks sharp with the vibrant outlines that makes them stand out too.

While not being a powerhouse in the music department, Hinamatsuri does boasts a great voicing cast. Nitta, Hina, Anzu, and Hitomi are the primary examples that perfectly fits with their personalities. Every now and then, they can say lines with a straight face under certain circumstances that can’t help but make me laugh. It’s a comedy show and definitely never forgets its intentions. The music also makes certain scenes and montages feel more meaningful.

Ah, if only Hinamatsuri had more than 12 episodes. The manga contains more material that I would love to see animated on TV. However, it did adapt the series to the extent that made a great impression to me. From character chemistry to the peculiar storytelling, every episode left me with something to talk about. This is a dark horse of the year that I hope people won’t overlook. Crafting comedy isn’t easy these days but I feel that Hinamatsuri accomplished that so well. I am entertained.

Back when I first started Hinamatsuri in the midst of other shows for the Spring season Hinamatsuri felt different. Compared to the others, it pulled me in and in a different way too. In the first five minutes I was slightly taken aback by the artstyle but when I continued watching it, it hit me with it's wonder. Hinamatsuri is exactly that kind of anime, and it continued to be so till it's end, it calms you down, then immediately rushes out with the comedy and before you know it, you're laughing out loud. Oh and there are tons of heartfelt moments too, what more
could you ask for such an innovative and hilarious anime? Original Review published June 22, 2018 on MAL

For starters, Hinamatsuri is a fresh take among the many comedy anime we see nowadays. It's not a school romance comedy and thanks to that it pushes out a huge cliche (there are exceptions) right out of the window, add to that it's supernatural nature mixed with clever comedy and you've got a fresh anime that people not only laugh with, but cherish for the coming seasons because you won't see such an anime so common, not every season, not every year either. Hinamatsuri uses tons of elements and jokes in it's run and it was very hard for me to find recycled jokes among them, it was all new and innovative and that says a lot about it's quality as a comedy anime. Oh and by saying it's supernatural you might think it relies too much on supernatural stupidity to tickle your funny bone? No, the best part is that Hinamatsuri can stand even on normal comedy and make everyday situations so hilarious despite having a huge arsenal of supernatural jokes at its disposal but Hinamatsuri uses both of them very wisely with the end result being us viewers holding down our stomachs while we laugh.

A huge reason why Hinamatsuri is so incredibly amazing is because it's got various approaches to the comedy, and it almost always nailed them, first off it has a buildup of jokes, the situation starts getting crazier and crazier and you're left laughing at every second. This is common in comedy anime since you can put up over the top situations and make people laugh as well, but Hinamatsuri unlike many others not only looks at that but it also looks at the premise where it's using it in, something surprisingly uncommon in other anime. What am I talking about? Many times we see anime attempt at comedy but use the wrong approach at the wrong time, thus even though the joke was actually funny, the wrong approach didn't give the writers the result they wanted and this anime thankfully crosses that hurdle.

Another approach it has to it's comedy is somewhat of the opposite, it sets your expectations low on purpose before hitting you with the punchline, this also has a largely positive effect since if the joke is successful, it can almost equal the hilarity of the previous take and on the other hand serve as an element of surprise to its viewers which as well plays a huge part in making it so funny since Hinamatsuri rarely failed at this as well. Yet another approach Hinamatsuri took was to use the “straight man” principle to effectively. What is the straight man principle you may ask? It's when the characters do something stupid and another character takes the “straight man” role and points out the stupidity in shock and while on paper this may seem unfunny, in reality it's very successful if implemented properly, two of the best and most famous examples of characters using the straight man principle excellently in anime are namely Saiki Kusuo (Saiki Kusuo no PSI Nan) and Shimura Shinpachi (Gintama). Instead of attributing this principle to only one character, Hinamatsuri gives the role to multiple characters depending on the situation and thankfully does it well.

Why did I list these and explain the different approaches to comedy? It's because few anime use so many approaches and few of them are successful in doing so as well, and the good news is that Hinamatsuri can use those very well, reason being it keeps them fresh with the comedy and helps keep things varied.

Note: The following is a comparison of Hinamatsuri, Saiki and Gintama, if you haven't watched the latter two completely, please skip the next paragraph as you may not understand the references talked about.

***COMPARISON BEGIN: Since comedy shows get compared a lot, why not compare Hinamatsuri with an anime it shares a lot in common with arguably the giant of comedy anime, Gintama along with a relatively recent anime that's also been doing fabulous, Saiki Kusuo, note that I used these both as examples as well above for the straight man principle. First off with Gintama, Hinamatsuri shares the nature of smile+tears, meaning that both anime make you laugh with it's jokes, but it also has it's sad arcs that give you the feels and usually make many cry. Apart from this, both are supernatural anime (along with Saiki of course) that use their premise very smartly and have varied approaches to comedy, not just one. For Saiki, both feature modern-day Earth but retain the supernatural nature along with the occasional school comedy (but good) thrown in. COMPARISON END***

All three feature this element and excellently use their numerous weapons at their disposal wisely along with using one of the best comedy methods as well, unpredictability. You never know what comes next and when it does, you're left laughing your ass out. What does this entail? This entails that Hinamatsuri is an anime comparable to such greats and can stand on its own as well without having to mooch off anything else. Much like the other two, Hinamatsuri also at times jumped straight to the comedy itself without any caution (although this wasn't used much) and served as possibly the best form of surprise it could muster. Moving away from the comparing and looking at the points that set Hinamatsuri apart from the others is that Hinamatsuri uses an outsmarting “lazy approach”, such that when you're watching Hinamatsuri, much like Hina, it looks sluggish and slow and lazy as well but the moment you think that this is how the whole episode will be, it lands in a sudden joke and you're left flabbergasted in laughter (can people be flabbergasted in laughter? Maybe :P) so you'd be dumb to write Hinamatsuri off if you think it's a bit slow at first because there's a huge punch coming really soon as well.

Now let's step aside from the comedy for a bit since that's not exactly everything Hinamatsuri offers, we also have the occasional sad arcs. These were usually of Anzu (primarily) and at times a few other characters realising the importance of friendship or a life lesson as well. The reason why people loved Anzu to the point that people very soon ranked her higher than Hina for the best girl of the anime was because her arcs were so damn powerful. Poverty, learning to live as a homeless person, the community you make with them, and many other things beyond that I can't cover since they're spoilers, her arcs have a lot of thought and emotion into them and no person with a heart could not at least get a lump in their throat when they see the way she works hard to do her best for her friends who she treats like family as the feeling is mutual, this is really what should make us smile and laugh, the happiness of a human being doesn't come from being rich, but from enjoying what's next to us, what we have, not what we want, and this serious message was shown through her in these arcs. Getting why the anime is so amazing?

On the other side of the spectrum we have the duo who we started with, Nitta and Hina, these two are like father and daughter, despite one being a Yakuza and the other having dangerous superpowers, they went like bread and butter, and for the opposite reasons. If you took them individually, Hina wouldn't be as funny by herself and Nitta could only be used as a straight man if he's not with Hina. The anime is such that not only can Hina and Nitta not live without each other, but their comedy as well can't live without each other, and this is a testament to the genius mangaka behind this. As such, this erases most doubts about people possibly thinking of possibly axing one of the two, but much like Nana and Popo in the Ice Climbers (I s'pose no one will get that NES reference), they both need each other not only to live, but to make us laugh. Needless to say, Hina and Nitta’s sketches leave their mark clearly.

Let's move to arguably the most powerful character of the show, Hitomi. Why did I call her so? It's because she highly influences both Hina and Anzu. Anyway, Hitomi is fantastic as a character since she's very relatable thanks to her being given the straight man (or woman if you may) role by handling the BS that her daily life gives her and her arcs as well were hilarious as well as cute. She suddenly gets forced to work as a bartender and surprisingly becomes adept at her job and this is used as a baseline for many of the jokes at her. She also as mentioned played the straight woman for the crap that she has to deal with Hina and sometimes Anzu and her work. The best part is that she's amazing since she's so ordinary in the midst of idiots around her that it's hilarious in its own right and I seriously can't complain when even this is used well for it's jokes. Pretty reflective of the anime itself.

The thing is that Hinamatsuri has its own share of flaws as well. Even though it's comedy is almost always on point, if the jokes DO fail, the episode can fall apart pretty quick if nothing is done, and although this did happen once or twice, it pretty much saved itself in the next joke and went on, but this issue does exist and could be done better. And one issue that many point out is that since the anime is named Hinamatsuri, it still doesn't focus much on Hina in the first place. Although Hinamatsuri's purpose is to follow and balance screen time for all characters, many times Hina felt off the mark either because she wasn't given too many lines or she wasn't the person making the joke at that time. This is also a problem since based on Hina’s character, it's hard to bring in new stuff for a lazy brat since a lazy brat doesn't do much in the first place. This shows that you can't do much with the character as you would with others so Hinamatsuri's comedy gets held back at times when Hina doesn't do much.

Overall, Hinamatsuri is an anime that does a lot, and a lot of that is different from the usual. Apart from being able to stand on its own legs for support, it is comparable to the legends in its genre and can hold its own to a respectable level. It's truly an all round comedy in part because it makes you cry then laugh in just a span of a minute. Why is that you may ask? It's because comedy isn't just laughing at stupidity, comedy is also trying to find the funny in tragedy and the sad times, that's what Hinamatsuri is all about. And that's what comedy should be all about isn't it?

P.S: This season has a multitude of amazing last episodes demonstrating the best of the show’s offerings overall and Hinamatsuri was no exception. The last episode excellently showed us everything that made the show so amazing. A combination of feels, slapstick comedy and recent nostalgia made for an epic end to an epic anime (despite that minor cliffhanger?), and as a fan, I couldn't ask for anything more. It's a fan’s dream come true. Here's hoping we see a season 2 anytime soon!

In every way, Hinamatsuri goes above and beyond what is expected of comedy anime.

It is not simply one of the best because it’s absurdist humor is well directed and often hilarious, it’s one of the best because it doesn’t stop at just making funny jokes. Every character is so well rounded to be believable and the story develops in a surprisingly organic fashion. Jokes don’t bog down the pace because they’re seamlessly woven into the story and character arcs.

Hinamatsuri tells the bizarre but heartwarming story of three young girls; Hina, Anzu, and Hitomi. Starting off the series is the most prominent of the three,
Hina. A girl with psychic powers from a strange world who randomly appears in a yakuza member’s apartment penthouse apartment, Nitta. Right away he tries to kick her out, and she uses her powerful supernatural abilities to trash his apartment and break his precious vase collection.

Begrudgingly he lets her stay, even surprising himself at how quickly he slips into the role of a surrogate father. Gradually they become a sort of found family, at first because he fears her power and doesn’t want to end up like one of his poor vases. But it doesn’t take long for Nitta to realize that Hina’s just a lazy kid who wants a lot of things because she was denied them in the whatever strange world she came from. Seeing Hina’s deadpan personality perfectly sells the ridiculously stupid and unknowingly cruel things she does to people, namely Nitta in the first episode as he acts as the show’s straight man. There are a fair few cartoonishly ridiculous reaction faces shown off to sell his dismay, which surprisingly is quite detailed and used often with many characters throughout the show.

Nitta quickly realizes he can use Hina’s powers to make some money like any greed fueled adult would, and she points out his similarities to the organization she came from. He corrects himself by trying to not treat her like a tool, the first great change in his character arc. Once she sees he actually cares about her, she feels a commitment to helping him out with yakuza work and beats the crap out of a bunch of gangsters. Comically, they’re all thrown from their company building with cries of “ouchy!” from all of them.

It’s really weird, but it sets up the show’s themes perfectly. From the beginning they have a long way to go, there’s even a part where Hina gets disowned, but from then on they learn to forgive one another for their mistakes like a real family. It’s a consistently heartwarming dynamic that, despite the many hilarious bumps they hit along the way, always feels like they’re on an upward trajectory.
Their story, and for that matter, every story in Hinamatsuri feels like it could carry its own series. The plot is never just an excuse to string gags together, but honestly, even if it was I wouldn’t mind because they’re really well directed. Jokes are always edited not a second longer than need be, but they also linger long enough to be savored with perfect line delivery from the boisterous voice actors.

Every person has multiple sides to them, as long as you can find people you care for you as much as you do for them, then connections like these can be found anywhere. It’s a genuine and uplifting message that’s seen throughout the series as more characters and plotlines are introduced. As the first episode is the most straightforward with only one plot line it follows, Hina and Nita, it’s the simplest. There are a few background characters who are introduced, and never forgotten, and because they’re all connected to one another they pop up throughout the show. Gradually the relatively small part of the city the show is set in becomes more lively as we learn who lives where and where they often spend their time, it’s a great method of world building for a comedy series because it allows for long-running gags and a melting pot of various personalities that get defined then later clash with one another. This growing cast is reflected in the show's changing ED taking place in the bar owned by Nitta's original love interest Utako. Plus, Nitta's voice actor performs the wonderful song and it evokes a warm-hearted 80s style.
Hinamatsuri is in my opinion at the highest level of comedy writing, and I wish all anime would follow it. Even when the gags are presented deliberately at a slow pace is to show that you can probably guess how the joke will play out from context clues, but the outcome is so unfathomably absurd that you can't believe it until you see it.

The second psychic that sent to arrive on Earth, Anzu, a girl with far more attitude but less power than Hina. She’s too proud to tell Hina that she can’t go home when her teleportation device gets broken, so instead she chooses to live on the streets. Oh, what a fool I was for thinking Hinamatsuri would let this be a one-off gag. Instead, it starts with her stealing, then learning the value of money from the local homeless people who mentor her and give her a home in among them in the public park. Anzu learns how much money is worth through spending her days collecting cans, offering plenty of growth for her character who started as a thieving punk. The simpler life she lives is detailed immaculately to be believable; how much money she earns, what foods she can buy, how she can or can’t spend her free time, not being able to go to school. This is a more dramatic area of the show, but to balance out the tone there are laughs to be had when she interacts with Hina (supported by a wealthy yakuza) and Hitomi (middle schooler with a well-paying job). The contrast between the three lives they lead is hilariously skewed and used to bring about plenty of long-running and escalating jokes because they're ones who get the most screentime.

The homeless people who mentor Anzu are expectedly incredibly humanized like the rest of the cast. At first, they don't accept her for obvious reasons, it’s dangerous, but after she sings terribly for them, they become endeared by her and are reminded of their own grandchildren. By the end of that arc, they genuinely come to want her to have a good life. Seeing the impact she had on them once their found family is torn apart by the town moving them out of the park is truly moving, as well as how Anzu comes to cope with her new home at the ramen restaurant. It's a surprising gut punch after all the lighthearted jokes that you'll likely not get through without watery eyes. Despite being one of the more sentimental characters, the show still finds juggle jokes with saccharine moments. As Anzu becomes more aware and appreciative of the kindnesses people show her as a result of having so little, the show draws comparisons to the lazy Hina, at times and Nitta even begrudges how he ended up with the ungrateful one.

The third leading girl is Hina’s studious classmate Hitomi. She’s basically the nicest of nice people who just want to help others but is somehow always being punished for just being nice. Like how she helped out at Utako’s bar then ended up getting blackmailed into becoming an employee. It never gets mean-spirited because she’s always making tons of money from her jobs. Her whole shtick is that adults can’t stop being stupid jerks to her but she somehow makes the most of her situations. Seeing her overwhelmed with anxiety at the beginning of the series when she had to bartend for her middle school teacher was hilarious, and well telegraphed by the great character animation as always, but then she overcomes it and becomes confident enough in herself to make drinks that wowed all of her customers. Hitomi’s arc is my personal favorite because of how she takes overwhelming workplaces and somehow is still able to try her best at it and manages to help her own self-confidence and others around. Which is especially crucial when all the adults around her can’t seem to get their shit together. Her compassion is what makes her so likable, but with rapidly escalating career situation also comes a really weird but worthwhile character arc.

She sees Anzu homeless and despite being exhausted from overwork, she still takes the time to play tag with her. Even if it ends with the joke of her falling asleep standing up, it's still a testament to how much she wants to do right by everyone while also being absurdly hilarious.

OK so you may be thinking, some of the jokes derived from the characters may be too mean-spirited right? Well, that’s all part of the show’s appeal, it’s absurd and realistic while also not becoming overly sugar-coated. Overall it’s characters are written more with an inclination for humanizing them rather than realism; take the homeless characters for example. Anzu’s situation is portrayed as not purely nihilistic suffering but instead as a slightly unrealistically safe environment for a young girl. In spite of this, I prefer the show’s inclination to humanize its characters with in-depth personalities, that's what makes them so resonant.

Each cast member is flawed in many ways, no one is a completely good or bad person. Take Utako for example, she’s kind of terrible for blackmailing a middle schooler into working for her, but also she leads marches against the city trying to drive the homeless community from the park. The series is never content with leaving a character underdeveloped, there’s always more to them than their first impression implies. However, it’s not as if the series has time to give everyone fully fleshed out backstories with an episode worth of dialogue. Instead, studio Feel makes use of its generous budget and stellar character animation to give them each minor mannerisms constantly clueing you in on what they’re thinking. Like the nervous gestures Hitomi frequently shows early in the series, but gradually becomes more composed as she learns self-confidence.

Hinamatsuri is truly the gold-standard of modern comedy anime; exceeding the expectations in animation quality, story, characters, and directing. It’s not every day we see anime that strive to defy the expectations we have been conditioned to have for the comedy genre, and for the medium as a whole.

A lot of comedy anime are based on formulas. Here is a premise. Here are jokes that arise from that premise. Basic sitcom stuff. Hinamatsuri takes these fundamentals and grows them to reach a much higher form of comedic storytelling.

First the Fundamentals of Comedic Storytelling

It should first and foremost be stated that humor is subjective. Though this doesn’t mean that there are not techniques used to craft jokes. Just because the jokes do not land for everyone doesn’t make them not jokes. This can make it hard to discuss comedy. If we disregard everything as subjective, the ability to have a conversation is lost, so
let’s talk about some fundamentals.

In gag like Azumanga Daioh, much of the humor is derived from the conversations the characters have and extreme versions of everyday life. Meanwhile, in the serialised harem anime Nisekoi, it often had episodes where the humor was created by an event, often putting the protagonist and one of the heroines in a situation where they naturally bounced off each other to create humorous dialogue. Nisekoi is a traditional sitcom-like premise, but in many ways, they are forced to stunt the development of their characters to ensure that the jokes can continue as they always have. This is where Hinamatsuri comes in.
lets talk about 1st eposode...plz dont read this before watching..

Hinamatsuri benefits from smart presentation. It presents its most ridiculous moments in a straightforward, unapologetic manner, as if a girl in a metal pod teleporting into a high-rise apartment and landing on a yakuza officer's head is no big deal. As the show's comedic straight man, Nitta's personality helps out on this front. His reactions tend to fall on the “stunned speechless” end of the spectrum, which is more understated than the panicked, cartoonish screaming we'd likely see from an everyman teenage protagonist. The contrast between those low-key responses and Hina's bizarre behavior (not to mention her hilariously odd-looking transport egg) places extra emphasis on just how strange this all is, and that in turn makes the humor more effective.

Hinamatsuri is about yakuza and psychics… kinda?... omegalul ... just watch it ...

Hinamatsuri is a story that follows the life of the yakuza Nitta, who ends up having to take care of Hina, a girl with physic powers. As the series goes on its cast expands to include other yakuza, psychics and Hina’s classmates. The comedy arises from interactions between these characters, and absurdist situations that the characters end up in. The anime spends a lot of time establishing who the characters are and how they act through the humor. artwork and sense of comedic timing really shine in gags .

The Maturation of Comedy

Hinamatsuri is not the only comedy to tackle these elements. Even so, it’s success at it is certainly worth the look. It so perfectly creates something greater out of an already great manga. Comedy genere are often accused of focusing on flat, un-developing characters. While that critique is both misguided and generally wrong, Hinamatsuri provides a perfect counterpoint to that argument. As the characters grow, so does the storytelling and the jokes. Hinamatsuri proves the sheer height of perfection that a comedy series can strive to accomplish.

overall
I'm enjoying its particular brand of lunacy, so I'll be sticking around to see where it goes. If combining Cromartie High School levels of weirdness with an “unusual dad raises weird kid” story sounds like your idea of a good time, by all means give this show a try.

These are all ways to make a comedy anime better. However unlike my 3D Kanojo real girl and Love is hard for an Okatu reviews where I compared them with each to see which one was overall better (spoilers Wotaku Love is hard for a otaku won) but instead I just want to talk about I believe that Hinamatsru or Hina Festival is by far one of the best comedy/slice anime to ever come out. Am not saying that its competitor Comic Girls was bad or anything in fact Comic Girls was a good comedy/slice of life anime
that made me laugh a couple of times. However it still wouldn’t have a chance against Hina Festival.

So what made Hina Festival so great?

How did it end up dominating the Spring 18 season?

You will find out soon enough.

Story.
One night, a strange object falls on the head of Nitta, a member of the yakuza. Inside the box is a strange young girl named Hina. She has tremendous supernatural powers, and Nitta finds himself reluctantly taking her in. Her powers can come in handy for his yakuza business, but he also runs the risk of her using them on him! Not to mention, if she doesn't use her powers, she will eventually go berserk and destroy everything around her. Nitta and Hina's strange life together is just beginning.

The story is brilliant and very well crafted.

For starters the show a great job a building it’s own world where the anime perfectly showcases every social group in the city from the middle school students, the Yakusa, workers from the shopping distract to even the homeless people. The show also does a fantastic job at displaying character interaction based on different social groups.

For example in Hitomi’s character arc where she was forced to work as a bartender, we see that many social groups like the Yakusha’s seeing the fact that there was a middle school girl working in a bar. Like with Hitomi classmates where they thought that Hitomi is working in a bar as bartender as well doing naughty things with adults and Yakusa. However as soon they enter the bar that there was no naughty activity going on as Hitomi is just severing the adults beer meaning the people in the ear are not pedofiles as they just want a drink.

Despite Hitomi's character arc being the most comedic of the bunch her rise to fame was handled very well.

The comedy in Hina Festival is brilliant to the core. The comedy and jokes are really funny as they are all timed and most importunity that are not repetitive. What makes the comedy more brilliant is how the characters react to the comedic situations that goes on in this series.

The one thing that I really adored about Hina Festival is doing a great job at tackling serious topic and themes such as homeless, humanity, running way, acceptance, family, gambling, and money and does a great job at exploring them in full depth as well treating the themes and topics with respect.

The thing that sold me about this series the most is despite being heavily a comedy/slice of life show character actually gets development. You see most comedy anime would often return to the status quo meaning once these characters had they spotlight by the next episode they return to they usually self’s removing all of character development in the process. This never happens in Hina Festival as the characters and even the world itself change and evolves as the series goes.

(Spoilers Ahead)
The best example of this was in Anzu's character arc where she started off as this rough girl who came to earth to take Hina home as well stealing food and drinks from the local shopping district however all of this changes when she cannot return back of where she came from and because of that she became homeless as a result. Eventually, Anzu lives with a bunch of homeless people and while she’s was living with them she learns about the value of money and the power of community and friendship.
Unfortunately at a certain point of the series she would have to leave the homeless community so she can be live with a couple that owns a restaurant. After that point we the audience see how her time in the homeless community has affected her both psychically and mentally to a point where she is seen trying to adapt to her new surroundings and things that she can now do such as having a bath to learning the value and importance of money.

There are thing that I want to see in anime more often because the anime medium itself has the potential to present life lessons and serious topics to the viewer and I glad Hina Festival did a great job at handing it’s serious topics and themes.

(End of spoilers).

Overall the story for Hina Festival was great and well handled.

9/10

Characters.

The characters in Hina Festival are all brilliant and very likeable in they own ways. The one thing that I praise about this show is despite being a comedy slice of life show characters actually have characters development. A lot of comedy anime such as Konosuba, School Rumble and a few others are afraid of leaving its comedic ways. I know some of them are padorys where they are perfectly happy of being comedic but the problem was especially for Konosuba where at many times the show cock teases the audience about being more than a comedy/padory where characters get developed but instead of doing that and taking risks that show decided to be the same comedic show from episode 1 however in the progress the show completely lost its charm to a point where it became unfunny and repetitive.

Hina Festival completely avoids all the pitfalls and traps that caught other comedy where not only the characters were likeable but the actually get development plus they are still actually funny and they don’t repeat the same jokes/gags to the audience.

Nitta is a great character that I really liked. Sure may appear as your generic Yakusa member in the beginning but he honestly have a softer side to him that makes him an interesting character to watch. I also loved his father and daughter relationship with Hina as it well executed and was intriguing to watch.

Hina is unfortunately my least favorite character in the series. Don't me wrong she's not a character by any means as she is a good character in her own right. The problem is that if you compare to the other girls in the series especially Anzu who has the most character development she didn't really stand out. Yes she's has a good character arc with Nitta where they learn the importance of a father and daughter relationship but honestly I thought Nitta learned a lot more than Hina did. Yes she can be interesting characters at times but I thought she was nowhere as interesting as Anzu, Nitta, and Hitomi. Overall Hina is a very good character but she sadly get's overshadowed compare to the other girls in the series.

If I had to pick my favorite character in this show I would pick Hitomi. As a character Hitomi was a absolute joy to because she went from being a typical middle school girl who is timed to a general hard-worker who is very skilled at the things that she does to a point where became a key member in several businesses. I also really adored her character interactions and arcs.

While Hitomi is my personal favorite character in the series Anzu is by far the best character in the show in terms of writing and character development. Compare to the other girls in the series she's probably the most flawed and human character in the series despite being Superman with powers. Not to mention her character arc was well written to the core.

Mao who is comes in late in the series is an interesting character.
She a esper girl who has been stuck in the island who is trying to find her fellow espers .Despite have way less screen time in the due to her coming in the series very late she’s still manages to be a intriguing character that I really liked. More than Hina who had way more screen time than Mao.
The supporting characters are great characters in they own as they all memorable and intriguing to watch from start to finish.

Overall the characters in Hina Festival were nothing but amazing.

9.5/10

Visuals.

Visually Hina Festival is great.
Studio feel did a great job at sticking with the rough style of it's source material with its jagged, textured linear and gratuitous overlays. The show also has great use of lovely and modern color palettes which gives the show it's own visual flare. The characters desgins were great and appealing to the eye

I really adored the facial character expressions that series has to offer as it's more tension to both the comedic and serious situations that go one in the series.

My favorite characters expression in the series was defiantly Hitomi because the way she opens her month sticks her tongue out whenever she things that she going to get caught by someone important because after all she is working as a bartender at a young age.

The animation is pretty good for what it was so I have no complaints whatsoever.

8.5/10

Sound.
The soundtrack in Hina Festival is great as it perfectly represents the daily life of Ashigawa.
The opening theme Distance by Rie Murakawa is easily the best opening from this spring 18 anime season as it's very catchy and perfectly captures the setting and tone of the series.
The ending theme Sake to Ikura to 893 sung by Nitta's Seiyuu actor was a masterpiece.

Before we get to the sub vs dub section of the review I just want to praise the fact that both the opening and ending evolving as the show goes along and this was perfectly shown by a character named Utako where if you keep on watching the opening each episode you will start to see how less important the character actually became and for this case was Utako where only appears once in the opening in episode 10 while she's never present in the ending at all in episode 10. Another thing I really like is how it the ending theme features evolving supporting characters where I honestly hope more do theses evolving opening/ending themes in the future because one it really makes them unique and two instead of pointless recap episodes we the viewers actually see visually of how did the series progressed.

Now for sub vs dub.

The sub is very good overall and I have no complaints of it however what really surprised me about Hina Festival was the dub. The dub for Hina Festival is brilliant and well-acted.

Overall the soundtrack is brilliant.

10/10

Final Thoughts.

Overall I really adored Hina Festival. I can safely say that not only Hina Festival had single-handily dominated the Spring 18 season but it's also one of the best slice of life/comedy series period.

The story was amazing and well created. The characters were wonderful and interesting. the productions were great and the soundtrack is awesome.

It truly feels like the creators for this show put a lot of care and effort when making this anime and am glad.

Hopefully, this show gets a second season sometime in the future as well as a great DVD/Blu Ray release by Funimation in the US and UK.

If you looking for a slice of life/comedy anime that is very funny and has great character development than I recommend Hina Festival.

Hinamatsuri is an anime about this Yakuza-bro who is totally a badass. He meets this weird alien girl AND THEN THEY FUCK. Oh wait, wrong series. And then they become something like "friends" or "family", and instead of developing as characters they rather start a trip to self-discovery and find new sides within themselves, but also from each others. Pretty neat.

My favorite part of this series is Hina. Her whole presence radiates disinterest. Whenever she does anything, it comes off as a combination of curiosity and not giving a fuck. For example, even when she is impressed she be like "woah", but also, "meh". This
creates quite interesting comedic situations. The same thing is also done with drama. This, on the other hand, quite (tedious word incoming) subtly hints about the complexity of their personality.

Every character introduced thus far has had an important role in the series, expanding its universe and viewer's understanding of the main characters, however, never feeling like they solely exist for the main characters. Instead, for once they feel like real people. The series also contains quite a few pop culture reference that can be seen as eastern eggs for popular movies that did it before Hinamatsuri. For example, the room scene is clearly a reference to The Terminator (1984). Our biking scene is obviously from E.T. (1982). Without a doubt, the series has a lot to offer.

The art represents its source material quite faithfully. The battle scenes/super natural powers are animated quite neatly. Especially those parts where airflow effects characters' facial expressions. The voice acting can only be called a smart choice. Since none of the characters comes off as purely comedic, the seiyuu work is what essentially makes our character feel like real people. This plays a huge part in making the series look like a believable Yakuza space oddity. It's a job done right. The OST, and especially the ending and opening songs quite well capture the uplifting nature of the series.

After 4 episodes, I can pretty much recommend Hinamatsuri to everyone. Especially those who are looking for airing series to try. This is the one you should be currently following.

I really can't see why so many people are liking this thing. It simply isn't funny. Yes, it does have some moments that it actually gets you of guard, but most of the time you can easily guess when it will break expectancy, and how.

Characters are poor, or at least they can't shine alone, and there is very few interaction between them, many jokes are about the adversities of a single character, many of those aren't funny. I understand that good part of jokes comes from sad things, but that doesn't mean sad things are fun by themselves. I don't really thing the writer
or the director worked well together, but on my opinion both are bad.

Story is weak as in any comedy, yes it tries to give some pregression to the side characters, but Hina, which, is the funniest one of them progress very little. And a main problem is that it doesn't keep the premise at all. The superpowers, are barely used, even when they should. Yes, in good part it would brake the jokes, exactly beacuse those jokes are made for a powerless sitcom, and not this kind of thing..

Art style is weak and plain creepy on those closes. Maybe that was the intention, the author thought it was funny, but for me, it wasn't.

Overall, you can skip this one. I didn't have much fun and ended up skiping most a good part of it.

They say life will either make you laugh or cry, and that’s exactly what lies in the power of comedy. Comedy is a form of art and it’s reflective of the times we live in, this art can be a powerful tool and the great comedies know how to wield it. As the saying goes, humour is like a rubber sword–it allows you to make a point without drawing blood. Beneath the humour in Hinamatsuri lies a rich layer of social commentary and life lessons, it’s what makes this series much more memorable. It perfectly balances the thought-provoking themes and gut-busting segments through a combination
of situational comedy, visual gags, emotional punches and plenty of misunderstandings.

Most comedies aspire to be able to work in those registers but few actually do them well all at the same time. Hinamatsuri fits within the very small group that manages the feat and does it exceptionally well. What becomes apparent is that it’s an absurdist comedy that enters the realm of farce. With its absurd premise and the dubious mixture of young girls and adult men, many might mistake the true nature of the show. Hina falls from the ceiling in Nitta Yoshifumi’s condo, he is a high-rising yakuza. Anzu ends up living in a forest camp amongst old homeless men, vulnerable and alone. And Hitomi Mishima inexplicably finds herself tending a bar all by herself as a drunk man wanders in. It’s hard not to view these scenarios and expect the worst. But this is when the show takes bizarre situations and fills it with wholesome comedy. There isn’t a gag that feels heartless or an emotional moment that feels cheap, it understands its boundaries, always finding the underlying humour without sacrificing its virtues. Hinamatsuri pigeonholes itself through three parallel stories: Hina, Hitomi, and Anzu–each one has their own distinctive tone but we do see where each one intersects and eventually tie together.

Hina is the problem child of the three and her and Nitta are the main protagonists. The comedy in her segments has a more sarcastic edge. While there are a few sweet moments between Hina and Nitta, for the most part, they conclude with a cynical or confrontational punchline. It doesn’t undermine their relationship, but it gives more of a traditionally comedic vibe of two individuals who are heavily flawed but learn to tolerate each other and hardly getting sentimental about it. Hina’s scenes put on a clinical display in deadpan comedy. Even when she was interacting with the other characters she took on the role of the disinterested observer. This had the effect of cleverly transforming her into the most rational character, something that comes as a shock due to her interactions with Nitta. Hitomi’s path thrived on consistently escalating absurdity, mainly caused by Hina’s actions or the selfishness of her boss Utako who owns a bar which she works at. Hitomi has trouble saying no to good people (who happen to be extremely incompetent), no matter how crazy their requests may sound. She piles on more responsibility and stress since she’s prodigious at everything she does. Her segments end in punchlines too, so there’s not a lot of breathing room for a heartfelt moment. Through these circumstances, the viewers are treated to incredulous reactions to her completely unasked-for rise into success.

Hitomi’s life is spiralling completely out of control, having to balance these absurdities along with her childhood makes up a lot of the more hilarious content in the show. It makes it all worth it when she eventually has the power over those that took advantage of her. Anzu’s mission at first was to pursue Hina, but after failing to retrieve her, she ends up in the Fastlane that leads her to shoplift for food, collecting garbage for pennies and living under a bridge. It’s as if life dealt her a bad hand and she struggles to understand how society works. What follows next is definitely the biggest gut-punching moment in the series and it’s how Anzu’s arc depicts homelessness in the most realistic way, it’s truly moving. Hinamatsuri’s comedy revels in subverting our expectations so as absurd as the premise looked, everything has come full circle–Nitta ends up adopting Hina as his daughter and takes care of her. The drunk man teaches Hitomi how to have more self-confidence. The homeless men treat Anzu with compassion and teach her about kindness and how to survive on the fringes of society.

Anzu grows to love and care for her homeless family and she learns that separation is integral to the growth and new beginnings which leads into another heart-wrenching moment. Anzu becomes the heart of the series. It lets her story’s emotional peaks stand on their own without trying to undermine them with cynical gags, and in doing so illustrates that it truly understands that good comedy doesn’t have to come at the expense of emotional sincerity. Now on to Nitta and the curious situations he ends up in whether he’s finding himself in a cement barrel due to a misunderstanding or prepping for a date with Utako (the bartender who hired Hitomi), the run of bad luck he finds himself in could be considered curse-related which is one of the funny gags. The father and daughter pairing of Nitta and Hina makes them such the odd duo, but their relationship creates many laugh-out-loud moments. Nitta’s role is often that of wry, jaded spectator to this farcical circus called Hinamatsuri and when all characters interact with each other, it’s when the show is at its best.

Studio feel adapts Masao Ohtake’s manga and visually it is amazing from character designs, backgrounds, colour scheme, and animation. And most importantly the facial expressions and it’s great when you see anime that blends cartoony reactions with realism in the way Hinamatsuri does–e.g. Hitomi’s signature shock face. Great news about the voice acting is not only is each character’s performances are pitch-perfect but both Sub and Dub are great. Special mention to Kaeda Hondo and Tabitha Ray’s portrayal of Hitomi that makes the tough journey she travelled a lot more hilarious. The score captured both the funny and the tender side of the show. The proficient use of classical instruments, great for the heartfelt scenes. The funny scenes used a lot of upbeat electric piano melodies and funky percussions. Opening and Ending compliment the themes of the show. The last oddball thrown into the mix that comes late in the series is another psychic-powered girl in Mao who is introduced in the very first episode in what is immediately revealed to be a flash forward three years after Hina arrived in Tokyo. Her story arc is pretty interesting and pays homage to the movie Castaway, you have to see it.

There is quite the character study going on here, we see how people of similar backgrounds can perceive the world from their surroundings. Hina is living a luxurious life where food is prepared for her daily, while Anzu is living the life of poverty where she works all day for her meals. It teaches us not to take things for granted. I fully recommend to watch it, both the Sub and Dub. It’s an amazingly great comedy with stunning world building themes, fully fleshed out and developed characters who have many layers, great chemistry and they’re humanized throughout the series. Plenty of hilarity segments that is balanced out with tear-jerking moments. It’s not what you have in life that matters; what matters is whom you share your life with, and that’s what Hinamatsuri is all about.

This show is fairly easy to watch and there are some moments that will make you laugh.
Overall though nothing really happened. You would think a show about girls with telekinetic powers and some shadowy organization would have more violence, fights or anything really.
Instead you are treated to 12 episodes of Hina wanting food and lazing about. Nitta caring for and often complaining about Hina. Ansu's life as a homeless teen (which was probably the most interesting part of the show) and finally Hitomi working in Nitta's favorite bar and occasionally helping Hina or Ansu.

This show is very episodic, with
very little in the way of a contiguous story line. After 12 episodes there was no indication of where these super powered girls came from, or what the "Organization" is, why they exist etc. Like I said, it's 12 episodes of nothing.

Animation was fine. If you care, there was little to no fan service.
Soundtrack was fine.

Go into this one with low expectations and maybe you will enjoy it more than I did.

A diamond in the rough, very funny and innovative story blend with a can't be better context for a comedy that stand out from the normal highschool rom com superpower stuff. Also the show includes some real life situation and even able to make gags out of it while doing the educational stuff at the same time. The art is nice although it's liek they are catching up with the new flashing style of A place further than the universe and Yuru camp, but the character design is funny, fressh and hillarious as well. Absolutely a must watch for this season.

TLDR: Hina is a fun and bubbly anime which focuses on unique experiences in unique circumstances. It's a funny side watch that doesn't focus on the sci-fi tag, but centralises on the interactions of random individuals. You're at the right place if you want a nice watch that will brighten your day, even if it's by a little.

Story [7]
Hinamatsuri's story isn't spectacular, but something that develops at a nice pace and is enjoyable. While the anime doesn't particularly explain the context of the story (pre-Hina appearance), any need for this closure is
washed away as you are immersed in the interactions within the series.
You want to see how the blank Hina (character) acts and grows, how Anzu works her way through life and how the characters interact, develop and react to each other. It's not a large metaphoric story, but a collection of stories; a good slice of life story.
As a result, the interesting and everchanging development, combined with its comedic tone, make Hinamatsuri's story enjoyable.

*And to those expecting the explosions of sci-fi/magic, be prepared to be disappointed as this anime doesn't particularly focus on this aspect and is more of just a drive for the plot.

Art [6]
Nothing much of note here. While the drawings are quite consistent throughout the series so far, the art doesn't particularly stand out at in any major way and can feel a bit dated for 2018. It does a good job characterising the temperaments of the characters and that's all that is needed of an adaption. Not yet mediocre but not quite great either.

Sound [6]
Similar things can be said here, as with art. The OP and ending tracks are good, but it isn't much of a step over fair. The voice acting is consistent, solid and set the tone for every character making them fun to follow. Again, the sound is not great, but not mediocre either, making it a fair attempt.

Character [8]
Perhaps The series' strength, it really makes it up here by introducing a variety of unforeseen characters into the mix. The interesting attitudes of various characters make us curious to see the how the characters interact and develop. We want them to be together, to talk and to wander aimlessly into conversations.
It keeps it fresh and entertaining as we move through the episodes.

Enjoyment [8]
I can't help but be fixated on the interactions of Hina (character), and perhaps that is my fault (I'm a sucker for the clueless). As such as a shot from the blue, Hinamatsuri takes "not belonging" to a unique level as it shoots various situations into the mix, making it really enjoyable. I want to see what happens next, what happened after that and after that.
Hinamatsuri keeps it fresh and the unknowing chemistry is keeping me pinned to this show.

Overall [7]
Even though this isn't a top quality production digitally (art and sound), the characters and story within the show drag the quality back up and make this a very worthwhile watch. Through its left-field characters and the chemistry they develop off of one another, Hinamatsuri leaves you wanting for more as it keeps it fresh and interesting within it's cute, yet mature, world.

P.S
"Don't you dare break that vase" they said...
"I'll disown you" they said
And disown you they did...

[6.0/10]
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sometimes you are better off leaving your expectations low and not getting enraptured into something too quickly. For someone that has watched a lot of television and film, I still haven’t broken the habit of brushing my cynicism aside when I see something exceptionally well made. Whether it be the first episode of Kill la Kill, which is vibrant, eccentric, and perfectly paced, or the hook in Nichijou, as we witness a well-known anime cliché get upturned in its opening sequence, setting lofty expectations for the series. The point here is, when a show gives you everything in its opening, you either buy into
it or don’t. It shapes the future of the product for the viewer. Next time you sit down to consume an anime, try and pay attention to the way it attempts to hook you. How does that introduction affect your outlook on the rest of the episode?

Hinamatsuri fits snuggly with the “load-blowers” of the industry; clearly wanting to showcase an especially impressive fight sequence that was not only exceptionally animated but solidly funny as well. A sporadic, nimble cut filled with substantial smears and smooth frames. It instantly captured me. Unfortunately, it peaked right then, for nothing else in the series reached that level of entertainment. I can’t help but feel as though I would’ve enjoyed it more if my expectations weren’t taken through a proverbial lap dance only to get a high-heel to the nads.

That’s not to say that Hinamatsuri is bad. It just doesn’t really attempt to be anything it established past the first episode. We meet Nitta, a Yakuza member who finds a metallic pod in his home with an odd girl trapped at the center of it. That girl is Hina. Her origins are unknown. We do quickly figure out she’s a bit of deadpan brat with telekinetic powers. From there, Nitta proceeds to unwillingly take care of her in continuously absurd situations as he makes use of her powers, her naivete, and their general relationship stays at a comfortable medium between hating each other and genuinely loving each other.

Hinamatsuri proceeds to introduce a decent secondary cast. A second, power-infused girl with Anzu, who gets left in our strange world as she tries to make ends meet with a bunch of homeless men, and Mishima, a classmate of Hina who gets thrust into a bartending job while still in elementary school. The idea here is that every character must face a situation firmly out of their comfort zone. Nitta, who is somewhat of a lady’s man and rogue, living alone in his apartment, is forced to become a pseudo-parent. Anzu needs to learn about this alien world and survive. Mishima must adapt to the new job she was burdened with. Each one has a miniature arc and plenty of B-stories. Some work, others resoundingly don’t.

The show is at its best when it is shooting the shit. Mishima is constantly the most entertaining character, not because she’s well-written, mind you, but simply because the situations she’s put in are farcical and almost always comedy-oriented. Meanwhile, Anzu, who is stuck living with homeless people, must go through a less-funny and more saccharine arc, as she deals with loss and growth. Her arc is perhaps the show at its weakest, as I found myself cringing at the overly-sugary emotions that were not only undeserved but completely dissonant from the appeal of the series to me.

Hina and Nitta are well-balanced enough. One moment they hate each other, another moment they have a connection. It isn’t perfect, but it is serviceable. With above-average animation for TV anime, Hinamatsuri elevates its presentation just enough to retain my interest. Unfortunately, the character designs are boring, to put it kindly. If I were in a worse mood I’d easily call them flat-out ugly. This doesn’t do too much to detract from the series, however, the generally serviceable animation, when compared to other shows of its ilk, is truly the only stand-out element in the presentation. Everything else in Hinamatsuri, from directing to shot-composition is uninspired, to say the least.

Peaking so early didn’t do it any favors, either, as the initial spectacle wears off and we get what I can only call a slightly above average slice of life. The comedy here is passable for anime, a medium which seriously struggles to be funny on its best day. The characters are generally unmemorable barring a few situations they find themselves in. Particularly earlier on the series before the character dynamics began feeling repetitive. There were flashes of inspiration in the general malaise, what with Hina begging Nitta to go to a “girl’s club”, and Mishima’s journey through unwilling student to a professional bartender. It was a positive experience, if only barely. I see copious praise for a series that does the bare minimum to stand-out from the crowd, but honestly, for a medium that loves repetition so much, maybe that’s enough.

This Spring 2018 season, we are given sequels of popular shows that ever aired on the anime community. From My Hero Academia 3, Tokyo Ghoul:re, Steins;Gate 0, High School DxD Hero to SAO Alternative GGO (even tho its a spin-off). Then we are blessed with Romantic-comedy segmented shows like Wotakoi, Tada-kun and 3D-Kanojo Girl. Of course this are not the only anime the aired this season. There are countless of them as well as leftovers from the last season which is Winter 2018. However, despite of many choices of anime to watch, there is one lacking the season without this genre. The "Comedy" genre. Sure,
we have rom-coms all over the place but that doesn't stop me for hoping a show that will air this season that is pure comedy. Not only comedy, but some drama as well that can make my or our hearts feels warmth. And I am glad I stumbled upon Hinamatsuri (Or Hina Festival).

The story of Hinamatsuri is quite simple. You have a young psychic girl named Hina got transported in a form of a weird-metallic capsule to the apartment of a yakuza named Nitta. This two relationship servers one of the primary comedic acts of the show. We have Nitta who doesnt want to adopt Hina but leaves him no choice to adopt her because of her powers. Thus, this embarks the journey of Hina and Nitta, from parenting to just silliness.
Comedic anime revolves mainly on the characters for the story. And Hinamatsuri's characters are well-developed with their own unique attributes. For example, Hina's attitude on the show is very unique unlike any other main protagonist on comedy anime. She is dumb, boring, annoying in the eyes of Nitta, spoiled and has a very unique voice that really reflects her personality. Although this personalities are very bad, in the show, it is just fun. She is what she is and we viewers enjoy how boring she can get through episode. Whether or not she tries her best to fit to Nitta's apartment, there will still be laughter on our faces. The chemistry of Hina and Nitta being on one scene is priceless enough to make you laugh. Her boredom plus Nitta's annoyed face are just good. Not to mention the other characters as well like Anzu and Hitomi. This two gave plus points on this show. We have Anzu here who was like Hina at the start but due to her having different experience, her character changed. We can compare the two psychics being like one child on a poor family and one child on a rich family. the two's relationship reflects the real world's perspective between these two. Then there's Hitomi who really adds the comedic material to the top. With her being a part-timer but a middle-schooler, who knows that if she is found out, trouble can get her. Thus, this leads to some whacky comedy skits and her faces making us laugh.
The other characters as well supports the genre of this show. From Utako forcing Hitomi, the band boys, the yakuzas, journalist, Hitomi's Mom. Everyone is part of the show. Everyone have elements of comedy.

On every anime out there, art style is a must. In Hinamatsuri, its art is one of the things that made it stand out this season. I am not talking about beautiful animations, fight scenes, scenery and all. I am talking about there facial reaction. The art of the facial reaction of the characters are splendid. It makes anyone giggle or laugh whether it is Hitomi screaming or even any other character with a gloomy face. It is just well-done.

The openings and endings are quite stunning as well. On the opening, we see every character from Hina to Utako, their possible roles on the upcoming episodes with their visuals. The music is very good along with the visuals as well. Speaking of good music, the ending really stands out for me. With the electric guitar on the beginning showing Hina and Nitta or Nitta only walking through the streetlights are just beautiful. Then seeing the facial expression of Nitta throughout the ending with the male voice are just well-synchronized. They are all good.

Overall, Hinamatsuri is not that much of a well-known anime this season because of the other anime out there. However, it stands top for me as one of the great anime that came out this season. Its drama and comedy are well fuse up with each other and can either make you laugh or sad (well you feel sad because of only one character) on every episode. I really recommend anyone seeing my review right now to give this anime a go because of its unique intake on comedy and hidden reflections of youth on our generation.

Hinamatsuri! My 100th anime completed ! I found out about this anime through a youtube video from Sydsnap around when I completed by 90th anime or so. Scrolling about this anime , I already knew it was going to be good. If you watched a lot of anime you can already tell an anime is going to be good even before watching it. So I saved this anime for my 100th special.

And to no surprise it was amazing. The comedic parts of this anime is so fresh and sometimes subtle. It never gets boring and repetitive like a lot of the comedy anime
I have watched. In addition to the comedy, there are several instances where the anime is "Feelzy" and I did not expect that at all. It really strengthened the anime and I feel the non-funny scenes made the anime even more memorable.

The characters were all unique and funny in their own way. I find with a lot of anime I watch , if it is good , almost all the time I end up liking all the characters like Stein's Gate. The opening,ending,and general sound in this anime is so soothing. I always kick back in my chair with my arms behind my head and listen to the ending. This anime should not be skipped. Give it a try , you will enjoy it!

Man, was this anime a ride or what? I previously wrote my review on this series when I reached the midpoint of the anime but I thought I'd update you guys since my opinion's changed a bit. Hinamatsuri is an anime that primarily follows the titular character, Hina—a psychic girl that finds herself living with a wealthy yakuza member, Nitta, after mysteriously appearing in his house one night. While the premise is a bit unoriginal, it still has a few interesting moments.

This series is considered to be a comedy, but I find some of the jokes failing to land. Don't get me wrong, I find
myself laughing a bit at a joke or two each episode, but I just don't find most of them particularly funny. The beginning started off flat, but it got a bit wackier and it doesn't take itself too seriously, which I liked. However, when it has its emotional moments, that was when the series shines as it really reels you in. The series lacks a extended storyline but the story-of-the-week theme is at least interesting and you don't get bored by the short stories too often. What I'm not fond of is the implementation of a supernatural element to the anime, but the failure to address it. The series is about a psychic girl literally appearing out of nowhere, and the deurotagonist doesn't even address it after the first episode. What's up with that? Other than that, the story is OK but nothing spectacular.

When we start off the series, the main characters are a bit generic and we knew little to nothing about them. Hina was more-or-less just an apathetic girl who finds herself confused yet intrigued by the human customs (how original), and Nitta was kind of just the caretaker meant to be the comedic relief. After a bit, we saw Hina grow into a more empathetic character but she still retains her apathetic attitude which I've grown to actually like. Nitta, on the other hand, is still lacking in the personality department but he's a lot more tolerable then he was before. While Hina and Nitta are supposed to be the stars of the show, I find myself particularly drawn to the supporting character, Anzu, another psychic girl who mysteriously appears through unknown circumstances. While Hina was lucky to be picked up and pampered by Nitta, Anzu is raised by a homeless community and learns to be humble and resourceful. Anzu has a lot more depth and growth than our main character, and I always find myself looking forward to her story more than I do Hina's. Unfortunately, the series is about Hina and not Anzu. The rest of the supporting characters are also not too bad. We even get a few episodes dedicated to them, which I surprisingly liked!

The animation is pretty good as well. While this anime is mean to be a comedy, there were a few action scenes and the animation looked smooth! The colors were nice and it fits the comedic tone of the series very well. The character designs are also pretty good. None of the main characters look alike, so you won't be confused by who's who. That's a plus for me! The soundtrack is your generic anime OST, so there's not much to talk about in regard to that. The opening originally seemed like another cliche anime opening but it's gotten catchy.

While I wouldn't put this series on my top list for this season, it's still pretty good. As I said before, the series lacks an extended storyline but the story-of-the-week theme is at least interesting. I wouldn't say that this series is quite binge-worthy, but it's fun to watch when you're bored. Check it out if you have the time.

Its been a while since I found a comedy anime/tv show that really made me laugh out loud and at the same time made me go into tears.

One of the best comedy anime I ve seen, with an incredible and unexpected slice of life

STORY 8 I ART 10 I SOUND 9 I CHARACTER 10 I ENJOYMENT 10 I OVERALL 9.4

So whats Hinamatsuri about?

Well its about many things actually, three main girls with each one of them with really different personalities surrounded by a lot of intersting characters

Hina a girl with incredible psychic powers that suddenly crash in the apartment of a yakuza member
named Nitta, even when at first Hina was a pain for Nitta, he adopts her as his own daughter.

Anzu the girl with not so great psychic which purpose was to defeat Hina and ends being a homeless person.

and Hitomi(my favorite) a normal middle schooler who cant say no to anyone who asks her for help, which is how she gets into a lot of intersting stuff such as bartending an age 15

So I broke down the main characters, so why you should why this show?

First of all the development and relationships.

Relationships in Hinamatsuri are incredibly well developed Nita and Hina form a bond, becoming more and more like a Father and Daughter, you see how the Yakuza member starts getting more attached to Hina even though she only causes him problems to a point that she even gets disowned, Hina as she grows closer to Nita, she starts becoming more a part of his life, his family and his friendly yakuza members and adapting to the life he is living.

Anzu becomes homeless and starts to gets food by stealing, later on she is teached by the homeless people how to make a legal living, she becomes closed with an old man, and she is kind of "adopted" by him and get into a grand father-daughter relationship, that makes incredible funny and tear jerker moments

and Hitomi becomes attached to the clientele of the bar she is working which lead us to an incredible and intersting plot through all the series

Every relationship in Hinamatsuri is incredibly developed, supporting cast is relevant and actually makes the gags and plot improve, 'I havent seen such an incredible chemistry among characters in years.

Comedy

The best aspect of the show, what mades Hinamatsuri comedy different is not just gags or absurdly scenes or moments but it doesn’t stop at just making funny jokes. Jokes don’t bog down the pace because they’re seamlessly woven into the story and character arcs, the jokes are not part of the story, the story is part of the jokes and its amazing.

Comedy is so well directed in this show, that even the exaggerating animated faces are so well timed, the fact that the gags stick even into further episodes, makes this show gold, it reminds me a lot of Konosuba first episodes (Aqua being eaten by a frog). Amazing Humour.

FInal Thoughts

I really want to write a lot on this section but I dont want to ruin it for you, Hinamatsuri is really worth it as a comedy show, it has one the freshest comedy I have seen in years in any mean possible, it has no underdeveloped or unnecessary characters, the slice of life in this is just perfect, not to much to be consider a drama but enough to make a balance for the really amazing story, in the same episode you might find yourself crying of laughter and suddenly tearing apart, its such a rollercoaster. I havent seen something like this in a while, so I hope you can feel the same way this show made me feel.

Hinamatsuri, or what other people call it anzumatsuri. This show was definitely a welcome surprise to me. It's a show that doesn't necessarily do anything out of the ordinary, but does it well. It has nice quirky jokes hear and there and its a real feel-good anime. If you do watch this, I can guarantee you will have that creepy smile on your face all the way through. It's jokes are very innocent and wholesome.

I didn't think there were any stand out character designs or music in the show, but they all played a part in the anime. I hope for season 2, they
bring a lil bit more action as the bits and pieces of action/comedy scenes were definitely the funniest parts of the show.

I came to this show expecting a silly show about psychokinetic girls and yakuza members getting up to mischief, but I left with a lot more than I was expecting.
This is my first MAL review, and it will contain *spoilers*!

The show starts off as a normal enough comedy, with great animation and well designed characters. The gags are quick and funny, and never failed to make me laugh. The infamous 'fight scene' from the second episode and the ever brilliant 'girly club' scene are particularly great. But as the show expands, it not only maintains its comedy and writing, but also touches on themes
of childhood, growing up, and parent hood.

The main character, Hina, and her adopted father Nitta develop a healthy relationship throughout the series- Nitta learns of how much a child can change your life, and Hina learns that the world doesn't revolve around her. Anzu's character arc explores how lives can be influenced by surroundings, and things loved ones tell you when you're young can stick with you forever. And finally Mishima, while her story is substantially more comedic than the others, it still briefly explores growing up, coming to terms with ones place in the world, and how tough the adult world can be.

All the characters, main and secondary, are interesting, memorable, and each have their fair share of hilarious moments. By the end of the series, you'll no doubt love the characters and really sympathise with their troubles. While I'm not particularly in the position to comment on the themes of life and growing up, I can certainly respect the maturity these ideas are handled with, and I can definitely respect the brilliant humour sprinkled within. Truly a pinnacle in comedy slice of life anime!

I fell in love with this anime. Hinamatsuri is a real masterpiece, from the start to the end. First of all, i just loved how things happen fluently, the plot and its cohesion just don't fail. If the previous events would take the next episode to a sad episode of a funny one, it just happens, the concern with the plot is the priority of the series, and is makes everything happen naturally, taking us to all kinds of episodes, and every of them very emotional, beautiful, funny or cute. The fact is that in the end of each episode you will love it for
sure if you like to feel real emotions watching something, whichever they are.

Story (7/10) - Well, that's not much to talk about, we just know that Hina and Anzu are from other universe or planet and Hina seems to be in trouble because of this. Mao getting lost is hilarious, but it kinda disturbs us from knowing the stiry behind the three girls. Despite this, the plot developed on the 12 episodes is very nice, i just love how the anime shows the different paths of life taken by Hina and Anzu, each one of them becoming a diferent "grown up" person in society. Besides that, every supporting character have it's own time, development and "respect" in the plot.

Art (10/10) - The art of Hinamatsuri is an ordinary but flawlessly made art. The colors are common, the trace is simple and the backgrounds are normal. But everything is made perfectly, in no time you see yourself troubled with something and even being so ordinary, it still has value representing perfectly the streets, the interior of houses and everything else.

Sound (8/10) - This part is quite complex for me to comment, because a slice of life anime can't do much as action animes. Of course the drama sound matters, the comedy and cute moments too, but it's hard to determine without an epic soundtrack. I liked it, but none of them called my attention as for example Hunter x Hunter OST did.

Character (10/10) - That is my favourite part in this anime. Hina is a cute
and distracted girl that is so captivating in many ways. I feel just like Nitta in their cute moments when i look at her. Nitta is a great character too, he's outspoken, simple and a nice guy. I love how characters never lose their personalities convenently, they just act like true people would act, i mean, following their natural personalities. Anzu and Mishima were my favourite, they had such a great development. Anzu went to a crazy lost alien to a hardworking humble girl, and as i said before, always keeping her personality. Mishima in the other hand just can't say no, and it takes her to a big world of business and employment, that was very funny and again, very respectful to her personality.

Enjoyment (10/10) - After all i've written here, it couldn't be anything besides a 10. Each episode had it own value, it own emotions and story, just indescribably beautiful. I loved Anzu with the homeless, loved Nitta and Hina fights and reconciliations, every funny moments. The only scene i really didn't appreciate was Mao lost in the island. Every other thing i liked or loved, a great experience for me.

Overall (10/10) - I think i don't have much to talk here, it's just the result of all i mentioned here. Great characters, a credible plot (despite the supernatural factor), beautiful episodes, a touching drama and a lot of emotions involved. And oh, the last scene is incredibly funny, it hyped me for season 2.

Hinamatsuri -
* Story *
Sometimes I think anime is going in a way I just don't understand and I think this is the case. From Yakuzas to naked girls coming out of some sort of spaceship... Oh and, they have powers, psychic powers. I really like this story because it remembers me what I'm watching, it remembers me that I'm watching anime. This story is the kind of story I want a newbie in the anime world to watch, because this is exactly what you will find in the overall of anime. This story, is the pinnacle of the anime.

* Art *
I'm not the one to
talk about art but, for the most part, I can tell that it does have a good animation, talking about how the movements come to scene and how the backgrounds are draw. It feels like a normal animation, some kind of animation that you can enjoy without any problem, it isn't a Kyoto Animation new graphic animation, but is still really enjoyable.

* Sound *
God, the feels you get from the music are awesome. I'm not trying to do a spoiler but this anime does have some scenes were the melodrama comes out and it plays beautifully. I don't like melodrama, but I liked this one because the feel I got from it was like remembering me why I like this community, really a masterpiece.

* Character *
Like I said at the very start, you can find from Yakuzas to Girls... Is awesome the kind of character you can find, the main story focus in a boy who is a Yakuza and a kuudere girl which comes to his house by some sort of a spaceship, this kind of combination is the one you can tell is gonna be a disaster and as the result of the fact it is gonna be a disaster you know it is gonna be funny or sad at some point. The character development isn't great tho, mostly because the story of Hino isn't clear at all, you can tell some things that happened, but it isn't clear at all.

* Enjoyment *
So... Nothing to say, I really love this show, I love how it plays the melodrama, I love the disaster of the characters, I love every single frame of this anime and I totally recommend it.